But in Southern California, the better question is: Are the Angels the best team in Los Angeles?

Sorry, Arte Moreno. The Los Angeles Dodgers still own the edge over your Angels. Hamilton makes the Halos’ offense even better, but a decided advantage in starting pitching tilts this comparison in favor of the Dodgers.

Have a look:

PROJECTED LINEUPS

1B: Albert Pujols vs. Adrian Gonzalez. Close, but edge to Angels. Expect Pujols to hit more like Pujols pre-2011 after a full year in his new environment.

2B: Howie Kendrick vs. Mark Ellis. Edge to Angels. Kendrick, 29, is in his prime and has greater potential for a big season. Ellis, 35, is the oldest projected regular on either club.

SS: Erick Aybar vs. Hanley Ramirez. Edge to Dodgers, but not by as much as you’d think. These two actually have several similarities. Both are 28, should steal about 20 bases and have been considered excellent defensive players. The difference is power. Ramirez hit 24 homers this past season, while Aybar finished with eight.

3B: Alberto Callaspo vs. Luis Cruz. Edge to Angels in another close one. Callaspo’s play slipped in 2012 while Cruz, 28, gave the Dodgers a late-season lift. Callaspo, 29, has the better career resume, though.

C: Chris Iannetta vs. A.J. Ellis. Edge to Dodgers. Ellis is coming off a career year during which he posted a .373 on-base percentage. Iannetta still hasn’t delivered on his potential.

LF: Mark Trumbo vs. Carl Crawford. Edge to Angels, for now. If Crawford returns to his pre-Boston Red Sox form, his all-round game would overcome Trumbo’s huge power advantage.

CF: Mike Trout vs. Matt Kemp. In the past two years, both have enjoyed a time when they were considered the game’s best player. But Kemp’s time came before he was injured—and before Trout arrived. Edge to Angels.

RF: Josh Hamilton vs. Andre Ethier. Ethier is an excellent player with a career line of .290/.362/.476. But he isn’t Hamilton. Edge to Angels.

DH: Kendrys Morales vs. Skip Schumaker. No matter who the Dodgers put here, Morales would hold the edge. The Dodgers will need a DH for 20 interleague games, including two biggies in Anaheim on May 29-30.

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley and Hyun-Jin Ryu. No matter how the backs of the rotations shake out, the Dodgers’ 1-2 punch of Kershaw and Greinke tops Weaver and Wilson. Kershaw and Greinke, in fact, top every other twosome in the game.

BULLPEN

Both clubs face too many uncertainties to make a conclusion. Neither even knows who will be its closer on opening day. But if Ryan Madson (Tommy John surgery) is ready, being able to move Ernesto Frieri into a setup role tips this matchup to the Angels.

TO BE DECIDED …

Both clubs face uncertainties beyond their bullpens. How they answer their remaining questions this offseason ultimately could decide which has the superior squad. Three key ones:

1. Who will end up in the Angels’ outfield?

With Hamilton, the Angels own such a surplus of outfielders that they figure to trade one. Because righthanded power is in short supply around the game, Trumbo would bring more in return than speedster Peter Bourjos. But the Angels might decide they’d be better off with Trumbo’s power than Bourjos’ speed.

Their best option would be to move Morales, ideally for an established starting pitcher. The Angels then could use Trumbo at DH and go with a defensive outfield that would be hard to match with Trout and Hamilton flanking Bourjos.

2. Which starter will the Dodgers trade?

With Ted Lilly, Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano to go with the five above, the Dodgers need to deal at least one rotation candidate. None of these three, however, is likely to bring back a player of impact. Not that one is needed.

3. What about clubhouse chemistry?

After their blockbuster trade with the Red Sox this past August, the Dodgers discovered there is more to winning than adding high-paid players to the roster. But going through a two-month adjustment period last season should pay off in 2013.

A clubhouse challenge awaits the Angels, who surely will miss the presence of Torii Hunter. Their stable of stars no longer includes an obvious leader or—and this is more important than you might think—anyone who is willing and able to face the media when times are tough.

Of course, after landing Hamilton, the Angels aren’t thinking about tough times. They are thinking about possessing the best roster in their division—perhaps the best in the American League. That still doesn’t make it the best in their own backyard, though.